The Dally Tar HeelMonday, May 18, 19925 , Brinkley urges graduates to make America better . i r'-!imiumjmv.. i.sXA.l.i!K,iL. 1 By Winifred Seasc Slaff Writer DTHErin Randall journalist David Brinkley delivers keynote address at 1992 Commencement exercises The sky was a beautiful Carolina blue as parents, family members and friends gathered in Kenan Stadium May 10 to watch 4,200 students earn bach elors, masters, doctoral and professional degrees. Some graduates gulped champagne while others turned back-flips and played with beach balls. A few just shouted with relief. The speaker for UNC's 190th com mencement was David Brinkley, an chor of the ABC-TV news program, 'This Week with David Brinkley." Brinkley, a Wilmington native, was inducted into the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame in 1989. A 47-year veteran of broadcast news, Brinkley also authored a best-selling book, "Washington Goes to War," published in 1988. In his remarks, Brinkley alluded to economic and social problems in the United States and referred to the nation's political affairs as "an unholy mess. "If we can fix our primary weakness, our politics, ours will remain one of the great countries of history the most productive, the most respected," Brinkley said. Despite some problems, America remains among the world's greatest nations, Brinkley said, noting "a seri ous governmental effort to eliminate "It is a relief to have these four years over, but I am also anxious. I hope the best is yet to come. John Rights 1992 graduate poverty" and attempts to "integrate minorities into our mainstream." The broadcast journalist encouraged graduates to recognize the nation's ef forts and to work to make America better. "Do that, and years from now when you come back here to Carolina to see your own children graduate, they will be as proud of you as we, your parents, are proud of you today," Brinkley said. UNC-system President CD. Spangler warned parents that their chil dren would face a difficult time finding a job. "It is my understanding that only 30 percent of the graduates have a job," he said. While Spangler urged parents and graduates to be patient, many UNC students have decided to continue their quest for higher education, in hopes that the economy will turn around soon. Graduate John Rights said he was considering attending a seminary in the fall. "It is a relief to have these four years over, but I am also anxious," he said. "I hope the best is yet to come." The Class of 1992 set several UNC records; 204 seniors graduated with honors and 64 students received highest honors, both all-time highs. In addition to Brinkley, honorary degrees were awarded to Civil War historian Shelby Foote, UNC adjunct professor of art Sherman Lee, former Campus Y Director Anne Queen and T. Franklin Williams, former director of the National Institute of Aging and a former UNC faculty member. For many students, the commence ment exercises presented an opportu nity to help make their parents proud. "It gives my parents a chance to see me complete something, it is more for them," said Mark Kleinschmidt, a teach ing fellow from Goldsboro. "They en joyed it, so I did too." Former chancellors recall influx of women, minority students By Anna Griffin Associate Editor Four former chancellors agree that increasing enrollment and providing equal opportunities for blacks and women were the University's biggest challenges over the past 35 years. In a historic meeting of UNC adm in istrators, former Chancellors William Aycock, J. Carlyle Sitterson.N. Ferebee Taylor and Christopher Fordham III took part in a round-table discussion May 9 as part of commencement week end. The talk, held in Memorial Hall be fore an audience of about 200 alumni, focused on demographic, philosophical and physical changes at the University since the late 1950s. Although the civil rights movement began before he took over South Build ing, Sitterson said little had been done to integrate major Southern universities such as UNC before the late 1960s. "In reality, while integration of schools had been ordered by the Su preme Court, in this part of the country not much took place," he said. "The University was admitting black students, but not that many came." Sitterson said that when he took of fice in 1966, UNC admitted 25 black students. In 1 972, his final year as chan cellor, 250 black students gained ad mission. While Sitterson discussed plans to encourage more black enrollment, Tay lor, a 1942 UNC graduate, recalled the administration's efforts to admit more women. Taylor, a former New York lawyer, served as chancellor from 1 972 1980. "It seems surprising in 1992, but for most of the life of the University, women occupied the role of second- or third class citizens," Taylor said. "In the fall of 1972, females made up 30 percent of the enrollment. In 1979, females made up 53 percent." Taylor said his administration also stressed the need for more black faculty members. Between 1972 and 1979, the number of black instructors rose from 15 to 57, he said. The addition of more women and blacks further overtaxed the University's resources, which had been stressed by a population boom in the late 1950s un derformer Chancellor William Aycock. Aycock said UNC officials responded to the increased demand for facilities by building Odum Village for married stu dents, and Ehringhaus and Morrison dormitories for undergraduates in the early 1960s. "The biggest challenge (during my administration) was one we knew was coming an enormous increase in enrollment," Aycock said. 'The feeling was we ought to get used to it." Aycock, who led the University from 1957 to 1964, said he focused on pro viding the basis for further expansion under future chancellors. 'This institution just flows into the future," he said. "The institution does not start or stop with the changing of administrations." Under Sitterson's leadership, the stu- Alumnus Harris uses polls to predict politics By Peter Wallsten Editor Public disgust with the 1992 presi dential election shows that Americans have lost faith in their leaders, pollster and UNC alumnus Lou Harris told a group of his classmates this month. "The key to understanding what's going on is that people have been des perately hurting," Harris told the crowd of 150 during his 50th class reunion on May 9. "People are demanding that the real issues that shape their world be dis cussed." The overall disillusionment in the electoral process mirrors Americans' growing disregard for leadership in gen eral, Harris said. Two out of every three citizens 66 percent of all Americans feel a sense of powerlessness, he said. In 1966, that figure was only 19 per cent. "The establishment in this country have fallen from grace," Harris said. Everyone from Supreme Court justices to doctors to journalists to college presi dents to U.S. congressmen have lost respect in the eyes of the nation, he said. Harris attacked politicians for their use of rhetoric and called the 1 992 presi dential election the race between "the candidate with little conviction and the candidate with little character." President Bush, who Harris said lacks convictions, probably will win because the questions about Clinton's character are more meaningful to most Ameri cans, he said. But Bush's weaknesses make his in cumbency vulnerable, Harris said. "I'd state categorically that George Bush has the weakest staff than any other president I've seen in 40 years," he said. "Believe me, I've seen some bad Pollster: Welfare mothers want jobs During Lou Harris' speech to alumni, two members of the audience asked the pollster whether Americans were fed up with welfare and "fami lies who produce 14 children to milk the system." In a rare display of emotion, Harris shot back at the questioners with sta tistics from the nationally renowned Harris poll. "People are uncomfortable with welfare until they know the facts, and I don't think you know the facts," he said. Harris said: People on welfare now are get ting 60 percent of what they received 10 years ago. Of families receiving welfare, 78 percent are headed by single women, This happens mainly because women outlive men, he said, adding that the ones ... Bush is a person who lacks genuine conviction." But Clinton's 45 percent negative rating, which is the highest for a presi dential candidate sinceGeorge Wallace registered at 48 percent in 1 972, makes a Clinton victory unlikely, Harris said. "To win in November in a two-way race, (Clinton) needs toget 50. 1 percent of the vote from the 55 percent who don'tquestionhis integrity ."Harris said. "This comes to almost 90 percent of the vote almost an impossibility." The candidacies of Pat Buchanan, David Duke and Jerry Brown indicate the willingness of many Americans to swing away from the mainstream in presidential politics, Harris said. This phenomenon adds credibility to the independent campaign of Texas bil lionaire H. Ross Perot, who will benefit from the nearly all-white, middle-class problem is much worse in the black community. "Among blacks, women start outliving men at 17 years old," Harris said. The average welfare family has 1.2 children. Polls indicate that the vast ma jority of mothers on welfare want to change their circumstances. "The mothers' main aspirations are to earn training and to make a living," Harris said. In addition, the Han-is poll has asked mothers receiving welfare whether they would prefer to remain on welfare instead of getting a job, "and they rejected that 90 to 10 (per cent)," Harris said, banging his fist on the podium. "So put that in your hat and consider it." Peter Wallsten 20 percent of Americans who have been voting for Buchanan and Brown, he predicted. If Perot is successful inTexas and the Midwest twoofBush'sand Clinton's strongest areas, respectively no can didate will hold a majority in the Elec toral College. Harris said that the election could be decided in the House of Representa tives, which he said probably would be held by the Democratic Party after up coming elections. Harris also predicted that the 1992 election would prompt Democrats and Republicans to eliminate primaries in determining their presidential candi dates. This summer's Democratic National Convention could make history if del egates deny Clinton the nomination and choose a different candidate, such as U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J. "The primary system is probably coming to an end," Harris said. "The primary system has been a di saster." While Clinton has been running steadily behind Bush in the polls in recent weeks, surveys indicate Bradley would stand a good chance of beating Bush. "Bradley runs as well or better (than Clinton in the polls) and is a less contro versial character," Harris said. "(Bradley) runs reasonably well in California and remarkably well in the Midwest." Harris also said polls have indicated that abortion could play a key role in the 1992 election. Clinton's only real chance of getting elected could come from capitalizing on the 7 1 percent of Americans who support the pro-choice movement, Har ris said. If the U.S. Supreme Court decides this year to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, whicch legal ized abortion, the Democrat-controlled Congress could pass pro-choice legis lation. Bush, who has said he opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother, would be ex pected to block passage of any such law. "If Bush vetoes legislation, and still is leading in the polls 55 to 45 percent, it could do away with the Bush lead," Harris said. The Harris Poll indicates that 21 per cent of the electorate would vote against a candidate who describes himself as anti-abortion, while about 10 percent would vote against a pro-choice candi date. This 1 1 -point gap could spell victory for pro-choice Clinton, Harris said. dent body grew from 1 2,000 to 1 8,000, an increase that made changes in the UNC campus and faculty a necessity, he said. "You don't just expand," Sitterson said. "You have to construct facilities. You have to build housing and facilities for thousands of new students. Every year we were trying to (add) a faculty the size of Davidson College." Population increases in the late 1960s resulted in the construction of Greenlaw Hall, the Student Union, the Under graduate Library, Student Stores and Hamilton Hall. Christopher 'Fordham, chancellor from 1 980-1 988, seemed to sum up the mood of the four men when he said the University "belongs to everyone in North Carolina." But some state residents feel am bivalent or even resentful toward the University because of the money spent on maintaining the UNC system, Fordham said. "You either feel like you belong to the University or you don't," he said. "If you don't, it's ABC anybody but Carolina. -; "This institution, if it'sgoing to main tain its greatness, is going to have to deal with (the public)." The present UNC administration and alumni should concentrate more on working with public schools and pri vate organizations to promote coopera tion between the University and the state, Fordham said. "We must make sure the University belongs to everyone," he said. "Admin--istrators come and go, faculty are moj bile, and students graduate. The alumni are going to have to help ... financially, morally, politically and every other way you can think of." The discussion, mediated by Tho mas Lambeth, a 1957 UNC graduate and executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, was part of a series of commencement weekend pro grams sponsored by the General Alumni Association. it- $r , ,-jf xw.zvr" mrr.rrrmr,vmr, r .v.. . . . . . .... : . : . .. .. , i r ill i r r r i nt- DTHErin Randall Graduates did backflips, blew bubbles and drank champagne during the ceremony f fc .... .TT sj mmmmm ffm Wui&i iMettiiP vi fiX" ttK Cflfa ftJSiltVEYOUOyER DOttARSTHIS MONTH 2 HOURS PER WEEK 'EASY, SAFE. . 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